19,800 Miles of A-moving

"When [God] aims for something to be always a-moving, He makes it longways, like a road or a horse or a wagon, but when He aims for something to stay put, He makes it up-and-down ways, like a tree or a man. . . . [I]f He'd a aimed for man to be always a-moving and going somewheres else, wouldn't He a put him longways on his belly, like a snake? It stands to reason He would."

-Anse, in “As I Lay Dying” by W. Faulkner

I’m leaving for my trip in less than two weeks, a-moving to Spain and China, longways. After sitting around without any obligations for two months, up-and-down ways, the upcoming travel will include more movement than I’ve participated in for some time. Anse Bundren would have been disgusted with my adventure, but he was an idiot, and had no teeth.I’ll be moving across 19,800 miles of earth. This doesn’t include flights within China, or rail, bus, and river travel; it comprises flights from Dulles to London, London to Barcelona, Barcelona to London, London to Hong Kong, and Beijing to London to Dulles. The domestic travel in China, from Hong Kong, to Chengdu, to Shanghai, to Xi’an, to Beijing, is probably another two or three thousand miles.I chose to go to Spain because I wanted to be able to practice the language. It occurred to me that I’ll also be practicing difficult communication. I will not be able to speak Spanish fluently with locals of Barcelona, who speak Catalan (not that I‘m any fantastic Spanish speaker anyway.) In China I won’t be able to speak anything at all. Spain will be a cushion before the real difficulty.I don’t expect the Chinese language barrier to ruin, or even dampen, the experience. I think many things can be accomplished without talking at all. Sight and gesture are enough to accomplish most of our important tasks. In perspective, I could go a whole two or three weeks without speaking to anyone right here in Washington, D.C., and still function adequately, if my only obligations were to get on busses, eat, visit tourist attractions, and take photographs.Much of my interest in the China visit will be, dare I say, somewhat metaphysical. How amazing, to occupy space so far away from space I have occupied before! I won’t be able to turn to the nearest person and share my enthusiasm, but I will hold it, nonetheless. And the visual stimuli will fortify my pleasure. Such different characters, architecture, landscape. I will be removed from my current state, utterly.I look forward to documenting the experience with photography, and writing. My previous travels were well photographed, but shamefully under-described. With all the schooling I’ve taken lately the prose should flow this time. I’ve acquired a smart, tiny laptop to accompany me, with which in the evenings I should be able to pound out what impressions the day brought.The comforts of home may be missed, at first. There will be no cats crawling around sniffing me, while I sit in my pajamas on the couch. But by the end of the trip, the absence of familiarity will become a source of inspiration and pride. A reminder of life outside the personal sphere, and a repose from typical stress and worry.